For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  (17) For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory:  “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  (18) And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the  holy mountain. (19) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 

In this second pastoral letter, written at the end of his life, Peter is writing to believers to set forth the truth and certainty of the gospel  – to the life of Jesus he can share his testimony as an eyewitness. His personal experience is an affirmation of Jesus Christ as Messiah and is more than sufficient evidence that our faith in Christ has a true foundation. Peter also referenced the words of the prophets to confirm the gospel – that God had truly completed what He had promised in Christ. Peter writes that the false teachers used cleverly devised tales but not so the apostles – they were proclaiming what they saw and heard.

In our verses today Peter uses the Transfiguration of Christ as the prime example of the majesty and glory of Christ – in the transfiguration the veil was lifted.  Peter uses this moment rather than the ascension or the resurrection because it was the only time he SAW Jesus in His majesty and glory and actually heard the voice of God.  In Jewish law there were two witnesses needed for the legally accepted witness and at the transfiguration Jesus had called Peter, James and John as witnesses.  Further, Peter knew his life was at an end and this was the dying declaration of the writer.  The transfiguration was a brief display of God’s future kingdom.  It was an historical event and testifies that our faith in Christ has a real foundation.

Peter had seen the miracles of Jesus and had seen evidence of Christ’s resurrection – he gives us certainty of the truth of the gospel.  We also have the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit which exceeds the evidence of the senses.  Remember that the gospel at the beginning of the church was not a vague rumor but was authentically witnessed by those who preached what they had seen and  heard.  We do not have a naked faith but have clear knowledge of the truth of the gospel .